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Category Archives: Previews

Man, I have such a love/hate relationship with Previews. It brings me the things I love each month, but it also subjects me to the most blindingly insane objects our type of fandom has to offer. Still, it’s time to roll through 1700 pages of ads to bring you, the L.E.M.U.R. Comics Blog superfan, a three-month glimpse into the future.

DC Comics

Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill #1 – I thought the BW concept was just a one-of group of projects, and that was bad enough, but to then go throwing in MORE one-offs helter skelter just shows that DC will keep going to this well as long as it keeps producing milk. Wait. That’s a metaphor, right? Yeah, sure it is.

DC Universe by Alan Moore TP – This is a TERRIFIC collection that DC has had the wisdom to kep in print all these years. Even Moore’s throwaway ideas like for the Green Lantern Corps issues prove to be pretty clever, and a huge jumping-off point for Geoff Johns in recent years. But what REALLY makes this interesting is that, with the official DC/WildStorm merger, the latest edition now includes Moore’s miniseries for Voodoo and Deathblow.

Green Arrow #17 – Jeff Lemire starts a run on the Emerald Archer and I’ve got to say, that’s an amazing draw for the title.

Hellblazer #300 – The final issue! I’ve only been a casual reader of John Constantine’s adventures, but now that he’s skulking around the DCU proper, it doesn’t really seem to be necessary any longer. And it’s strange, because DC seems to have completely ceded the dark adult creator-owned market to Image these days. Grant Morrison’s Happy, Andy Diggle and Jock’s Snapshot, Jonathan Hickman’s Manhattan Projects, and many, many more are all perfectly suited for Vertigo and yet they’re all at Image. And with the most recent news that Karen Berger has stepped down from her role…well, it just feels like the final nail for a storied comic imprint. Once Fables goes, I suspect the line will go completely.

Justice League of America #1 – Finally — FINALLY — DC is proving that it will not be beaten by Marvel in the race to the bottom of Good Taste, by producing FIFTY-TWO covers, one for each state in the union plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Oh yeah, Vibe is on the team, too.

Dynamite

Red Team – Dynamite offers a new series by Garth Ennis, and since it’s not being put out by Avatar, odds are better than average that I’ll be able to read it without projectile vomiting into my mylar bag. Which is nice.

Image Comics

Glory #33 – The penultimate issue, and the first book of the Extreme relaunch to go away, but credit to The Rob, he’s letting it go quietly rather than filling it with a new creative team just to keep the book coming out.

Snapshot #1 – Loser geniuses (this is a compliment!) Andy Diggle and Jock re-team for a new 4-issue miniseries. With that on their resume, they could do just about anything and I’d buy it.

Marvel Comics

A+X #5 – With Doop and Iron Fist, it’s like Marvel is putting this out specifically for FotB Andrew.

Nova #1 – The cartoonification of the 616 hits, as Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness slap Sam Alexander (from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon) into the Nova Corps helmet. Which is fine, just not really for me.

Red She-Hulk #62 – I only mention this because Jeff Parker has started referring to Betty Banner’s alter-ego as Cinnamon Hulk, which I totally approve of!

Uncanny Avengers #5 – It feels like a gimmick, but Rick Remender writing, Olivier Coipel drawing, and THIS great line-up? I just wish it was only $3.

Top Shelf

Nemo: Heart of Ice HC – I haven’t read anything from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen universe in quite some time, but it’s cool they’re still coming out by the original creators rather than being handed off and forgotten. And the 56 page hardcover is spendy, but an interesting format. Top Shelf DOES have notoriously high print quality on their books.

Wow, there’s not nearly as much this time around; maybe the indies are biding their time to compete for January dollars?

A lot of people think “digital” is going to kill comics. I really don’t — I believe in the physical objects that I sell, and in talking my customers, not a one of them says they’re looking to make a move to digital. No, I think what’s going to “kill comics” is ultimately the quarterly-driven decisions of Warner Bros and Disney that will try to incrementally squeeze more profit until the point that entire thing collapses. Whether it’s $4 bi-weekly comics at one or this type of poisonous lying at the other, the writing is on the wall: they’re going to wring it until it breaks.

That’s it for this month! Orders must be in to your LCS by December 18, 2012 and are scheduled to arrive in February.

Hey, three months of four and I’m starting to feel pretty optimistic about this. It’s going to be a bit shorter, I expect, without DC titles and still on the fence about Marvel NOW!. Let’s dig in to this months Previews.

Boom! Studios

Deathmatch #1 – In the interview, Paul Jenkins proves that not even comics pros can resist the allure of fanfic, as he basically just pits admitted analogues of licensed characters against each other in fights. This first issue is only a dollar, so that’s nice, but I’d much rather see Jenkins work on a new original concept and leave the “who would beat whom” arguments to the comic shops.

Comixtribe

The Red Ten #1 – I wound up supporting writer Tyler James’ recent Kickstarter, and was surprised (though very happy for him) to see his series made it into Previews. This is a great example of a creators’ hard work, dedication, and determination to self-publishing pay off. I just hope it’s good!

Dark Horse Comics

House of Fun – Dark Horse reprints Evan Dorkin’s strips from the recently-relaunched Dark Horse Presents. I’ve really wanted to read them but haven’t been able to overcome the $8 price tag, so thanks to them for giving me the ones I want for $3.50.

DC Comics

Catwoman #15 – I point this out for one reason: the cover. After causing quite a stir with the anatomical impossibilities of her zero issue, DC corrects the problem by redrawing it and…making it essentially the same. And this is the same damn pose! Well learned, DC. F+

Perfectly anatomically impossible.

STILL perfectly anatomically impossible.

Human Bomb #1 – If you like Golden Age characters Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray are probably going to do him justice.

JSA: The Liberty Files – The Whistling Skull #1 – It does hurt a bit that I won’t be getting this. A sequel to Liberty Files and a reappropriation of the Whistling Skull character Tony Harris and B. Clay Moore have been trying to get off the ground for a while. I think this will be pretty good!

Justice League #15 – “Throne of Atlantis” kicks off, and under normal circumstances I’d be thrilled to see Aquaman getting center stage so early on. (What? Sure it’s issue 15, but there have only been a handful of story arcs at this point.)

Sleeper Omnibus HC – Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ excellent story of a hero in deep cover with super-villains is excellent AND hard to find. This reprints both volumes, their initial Point Blank mini-series, and a handful of other specials, all for $75.

Wonder Woman #15 – Brian Azzarello starts introducing the New Gods and he’s probably going to do a solid job, but he’s on the double shitlist for participating the Watchmen abomination. Damn, I’m ornery and depressed now…

Fantagraphics Books

Pogo vol 2: Bona Fide Balderdash – I just finished the first volume reprinting Walt Kelly’s exceptional strip. It’s books like this that make the case for the entire concept of these archival reprints. If you haven’t picked up volume 1, save $10 by snagging the box set!

Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume Two – I think I’ve said all that needs to be said there.

IDW

The Crow: Skinning the Wolves #1 – After some truly awful movies, minis, and series trying to expand the Crow mythos, I’m inclined to think that the original series was just a magical lightning strike. And yet this new mini has one good thing going for it: James O’Barr is writing and apparently providing at least some of the art. So yes, I’ll give it a go.

Haunted Horror #2 – I have no clue why I missed the first issue last month, but these Golden Age horror reprints are going to be MUCH cheaper than the hardcover archive editions.

Image Comics

Legend of Luthor Strode #1 – I’m not really the target market for Luthor Strode, with it’s disaffected youth and insane amount of violence. And yet Justin Jordan wrote such a strong and compelling story the violence and gore felt almost like an integral part of the story. I’m happy to come back for more.

Saga #8 – Seeing this has just reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve seen an issue of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ amazing sci-fi series. If an occasional break is what it takes to get Saga I will happily accept the wait.

Marvel Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #700 – “LAST ISSUE!” we’re supposed to believe, before the whole thing becomes “Superior” Spider-Man and Peter Parker goes off the rails. But Dan Slott’s always done right by Spidey and I do love anniversary issues. This one clocks in at 104 pages for $8.

Avengers #1 & 2 – I think I’ve gone on the record as being pretty much in the bag for Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four family of titles (despite being about a year behind), but the few issues of his Secret Avengers I’ve read didn’t do a lot for me so I suspect I’ll check it out but won’t add it to the pull list.

Avengers Arena #1 & 2 – I’m intrigued by the concept, but not more than the distaste I feel for the concept. And therefore myself. The Geoff Johnsing of the Marvel U begins here!

Cable and X-Force #1 & 2 – I’ve always thought X-Force works best with Cable than without him, it’s always been “his” team to me. But for the love of all that’s good why in the world would we believe a man with a healing factor and one bionic eye would need an eye patch?!?!?

Essential X-Men Vol. 11 TPB – The Essential reprints are up to the Muir Island Saga! This the point at which I truly feel like the old guy, since this is where I really started picking up X-Men regularly. Ouch.

Thunderbolts #1 & 2 – The T-Bolts, which I’ve loved then been indifferent to (and then repeated the cycle) are now under new guidance with Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. And while I don’t know much of Way, Dillon’s artwork will almost always make me check out a book. And the team of Red Hulk, Venom, Elektra, Deadpool, and the Punisher remind me of the Defenders non-team concept more than anything else, but I admit I’m intrigued.

X-Men #39 – Domino and Daredevil. Am I the only one who really wants to read that? I am? Okay, moving on…

PS Artbooks

Phantom Lady volume 1 – Golden Age reprints of the title character (and relation of Jack Knight!) by Roy Thomas, Carmine Infantino, and others.

Rebellion/2000 AD

Judge Dredd: The Garth Ennis Collection TP – Last month I noted the Brian Bolland collection, but a Garth Ennis collection? Even better!

Twomorrows Publishing

Modern Masters: Marie Severin and Eric Powell – I lovelovelove the Modern Masters series. They are incredibly well-written and researched interviews with a wide range of comic creators along with some some pretty great and new art. Eric Powell is one of our favorites here, and Marie Severin is bond to be full of great stories from the Silver Age of comics.

Books and Magazines

Girls and Corpses Magazine – I don’t know WHAT the hell this thing is, but that is a pretty damn small niche market. Or at least, I hope it is. Oy vey.

Diamond Select Toys

Star Trek Select Kirk Figure – This looks AWESOME! That is all.

Orders must be in to your LCS by October 18, 2012 and are scheduled to arrive in December.

I’m still on the fence about Marvel NOW! It feels like a better place to jump off than on, as Marvel reshuffles their deck chairs somewhat arbitrarily. I’m open to comments and suggestions, though. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Well, I’m as surprised as anyone that we’re back for round two, but here we are, immersed in a 6000 page catalog yet again! Let’s dig in!

Arsenic Lullaby Publishing

Arsenic Lullaby Pulp Edition – AL comes out so infrequently I haven’t had the chance to read it in YEARS, but I’m glad to see it’s still around and will definitely be picking this up. If it were any less funny it would be the most offensive comic ever produced, but it’s NOT less funny and it’s the best for messed up humor.

Art Books

Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal – If you, perhaps, are a fan of the late muppet master, this adaptation of his diary sounds pretty cool (although I admit to having zero clue what they mean by adaptation). It certainly has the potential to be extremely cool, though.

Boom! Studios

Superbia (Ongoing) #1 – I haven’t checked out Grace Randolph’s Superbia mini, but I probably should have. We’re both huge fans of Randolph’s based on her Muppet-related work from Boom.

Boundless

Lady Death #23 – Wait, WHAT year is this?!?!? I’m all for irony, but this is ridiculous.

Dark Horse

Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and The Orm of Loch Ness – More crazy madness in the Mighty Powell Manner!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow — Wonderland – I’m not a Buffy follower, but it IS written by Jeff Parker, so it may be worth checking out on the strength of that alone.

Goon #44 – Giant monsters, cockfighting, and sexy ladies: I hope you CAN judge a book by its cover!

DC Comics

Before Watchmen – I’m glad to see that the fourth (and final) issues of these abominations in the eyes of the Moore means we can put them safely behind us and forget they ever happened.

Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus Vol 4 TP – The final volume of DC’s top-notch chronological reprints of the Fourth World. This is comics at it’s best, and Jack Kirby’s most focused and personal work.

Joe Kubert Presents #2 – It’s sad, but Joe Kubert’s participation in the Before Watchmen travesty pretty much guaranteed I wouldn’t support his future work. Still, kudos to DC for releasing an anthology starring this comic book legend. I hope they do this with other creators in the future.

Legends of the Dark Knight #2 – Ben Templesmith doesn’t tend to do superhero work, so if you’re still reading DC’s output, this is probably going to be beautiful and spooky, if nothing else.

Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Vol 1 TP – I’ve never been much of a war OR a horror comic fan, but just looking at the list of creators involved here, it’s a pretty tempting bargain.

Dynamite Entertainment

Evil Ernie #2 – As confused as I am that there would be a Lady Death comic in 2012, multiply that by a hundred for Evil Ernie. Did anybody really miss that cackling ghoul? REALLY?

Masks #1 – Chris Roberson writes and Alex Ross paints the team-up book featuring all of the pulp characters Dynamite has been relaunching. I just can’t believe I have to wait so long to get it in my hands. My only question is why the hell they’d cover up Zorro’s face with the logo like that?

EC Comics

If you’re so inclined, there’s another $300 of Golden Age crime and horror reprints to be had here.

Eerie Archives Volume 12 HC – If you recall, the last time I ran this feature I was pleased by the numerous options for snagging old-school horror reprints. I’m afraid this is a rabbit-hole I can’t bring myself to go down, but it’s fascinating and welcome.

Hermes Press

Alex Toth’s Zorro: The Complete Dell Comics Adventures HC – $50 for 240 pages is REALLY spendy, but if you love Toth (and you really should) it promises to be a lovely collection.

IDW

Berkeley Breathed’s Opus and Outland – IDW’s archival reprints have been rivaling the qwuality of Fantagraphics’. Here they wrap up their work on Breathed’s Bloom County by publishing his two follow-up strips.

Judge Dredd #1 – I haven’t had the opportunity to read much Dredd before, but IDW’s new series is probably a decent starting point, at least if they ensure their stories actually GO somewhere.

Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland – $50 is pretty steep for 248 pages, but it’s at least guaranteed to be gorgeous and a decent primer on the character. I’m thinking about snagging it.

Mad: Artist’s Edition – IDW’s Artist’s Editions are shot from the original art and printed at the original size, with all the corrections, blue lines, etc left in place so the reader can get the best possible impression of the artwork. This one will include SOME story from every issue between #1-18 — including Bat Boy and Rubin — and promises to be the best possible glimpse you can get of real comics history.

Image Comics

Bloodstrike #34 – Rob Liefeld takes the reigns for the first time in the Extreme relaunch, and we’re going to see the most Liefeldy characters of the bunch in this one, including the original Shaft (displaced from Youngblood) and blatant Lobo ripoff Bloodwulf. So yeah, I’m pretty psyched.

Cyber Force #2 – Coming off a successful Kickstarter campaign (which I admit I contributed to), this is going to be FREE if you visit a participating retailer. So do that.

Thought Bubble Anthology 2012 – New work by Warren Ellis and Tony Harris alone would probably make me pick up this book, but there are some other top-name creators involved here. I would HAPPILY support a full TPB with this caliber of creators attached, but this one is only 32 pages.

Marvel Comics

The Marvel NOW! soft relaunch (and where have we heard THAT little chestnut before?) is upon us, and now it’s time to ask myself if I want to continue aiding and abetting Marvel and DC’s game of soulless one-upsmanship or if I just want to check out now, like I did with the New 52. Truth be told, there’s very little here that I find exciting, more just strategic. Still, since I haven’t made that decision yet I’ll still keep an eye on them here.

All-New X-Men #1 – As long as the original 60’s stories still “happened,” I’m VERY nervous about this book. Despite their mission the original mutant teens were still pretty happy-go-lucky, and I’d hate to see that ret-conned into no longer being true or having that explicitly destroyed.

Captain America #1 – In which Cap becomes John Carter, Warlord of Mars. Who says the Silver Age is dead? All you have to add is Cap-Mite and you’ve got 50’s Batman.

Thor: God of Thunder #1 – Thor isn’t really one of the titles I pick up, but it IS Jason Aaron and that counts for a lot.

Uncanny Avengers #2 – The X-Avengers seems like a cynical ploy to me, like marrying the children of different royal families to build a stronger empire. And yet Rick Remender, John Cassaday, and the Red Skull are a VERY tempting combination. The Scott Summers lobotomy, though? Eww.

Tamashii Nations

DX Soul of Chogokin: Mazinger Z Action Figure – Should you have $440 of disposable income or, like Friend of the Blog Ben who had the FIRST Mazinger Z web page on the Internet (it was a LOOOOONG time ago!), this looks pretty damn sharp. And if in the future they should happen to make one featuring Optimus Prime or Voltron, well…I can;t say I wouldn’t snap it up myself.

Valiant Entertainment

Shadowman #1 – Valiant’s relaunch has been the highest-quality line-wide relaunch since…Well, since The Rob kicked Extreme off again. Every single title I’ve read has been top-notch, even the ones I never really cared for originally. With Shadowman they’re bringing back someone I really did like back in the day, so I’m happy to see Jack Boniface get the return he deserves.

Orders must be in to your LCS by September 18, 2012 (OOPS, sorry friends!) and are scheduled to arrive in November.

As I’m sure we’ve mentioned before, Matt and I are both giant fans of Chris Sims’ Invincible Super-Blog. One of my favorite recurring features was Chris vs Previews, where…well, I’ll let you follow the link, but it was a monthly highlight of the site. Well that feature isn’t around anymore (much to Sims’ eternal pleasure I’m sure), but since I tend to look forward at comics anyway, I thought I’d pick up a Previews from my LCS and see if I could find some cool new books to check out. And at the very least it would give me the opportunity to make some snarky Internet comments.

So let’s take a crack at the first of what will almost certainly be a series of one.

DIAMOND

It looks like Diamond is trying to kick off Free Comic Book Day in July, which is A-OK with me. Since Diamond is for retailers I’m not sure if these are intended to be freebies, but given the low price tag for bundles of 20, it seems likely. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tales from the Crypt, Axe Cop, Cow Boy, and Adventure Time all have issues out, although one publisher curiously absent is DC.

DARK HORSE

Ghost #0 – I never read the original series, but between Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto, this should be a really solid book.

Dark Horse Presents #16 – Golden Age crime reprints are obviously turning into a big business, as the Archive format and high price tag on back issues make buying collections a better and better idea. But touting “Crime Does Not Pay” as a name independent of the content? Well that’s not much of a draw, friends.

Axe Cop: President of the World #3 – I had no idea a new mini-series was coming out, but it’s a happy surprise. Plus look at that cover! Seriously, that is messed up.

Crime Does Not Pay Archives, vol 3 – Now THIS is what people want to see: reprints of the original Golden Age stories! But fear not, we’ll see a LOT more by the end of Previews. In fact, I’d venture you could spend $500 just in Golden Age crime archives.

Justice League #0 – Scary Captain Marvel betrays an almost complete misunderstanding of what made Captain Marvel special. So well done there, guys.

Batman: The Dark Knight #0 – Hey, so Joe Chill is back! I have to admit, I think Batman works better when he didn’t know who killed his parents. It allows for the whole “he’s out there somewhere so I still have a chance to catch him” motivation, which I dig. Still, I was never going to pick this up anyway.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 – “Learn how Jason Todd came back to life after being killed by the Joker.” I know how he came back: Superboy Prime punched something. But in another, very real sense: no. I will not learn this horrible thing.

National Comics: Rose and Thorn #1 – Well sure, why not. I feel like DC’s hydra heads aren’t talking to each other like they should be. Which of DC’s umpteen fractured realms does this live in? Does it even matter anymore?

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #3 – If James Robinson writing wouldn’t sell you already, the description “HE-MAN and TEELA batter in the ocean against the murderous MER-MAN!” should.

IDW

Transformers: Regeneration One #83 –I’m so excited for this I can hardly stand it! Does anyone know if any of the other IDW TF titles are any good these days?

Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2 – Mark Waid alone would be enough to get me onboard with this, but Chris Samnee won me over on Daredevil, so I’m double-sold. (Not in the literal sense, I’m only getting one. Probably.)

The Crow #3 – New Crow titles tend to stink, but it’s been long enough since the awful Image run that I’ve forgotten the pain and am willing to give it another go. As an aside, one of these days I’ll have to talk about meeting James O’Barr at Denver Comic Con, which was enlightening, to say the least.

Image

Happy #1 – Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson teaming up? Yes please, and why has it taken so long? This book is going to be messed up, and it’s going to be amazing.

Thief of Thieves vol 1 – Seven issues for $15 is the way to go, not five issues. I’m looking at you, Fatale vol 1!

It Girl and the Atomics #2 – Holy cats, this looks fun! Plus the Mike Norton art looks really solid, if substantially different than Allred’s.

Marvel

Anything and everything you could want with Thanos is out this month, which I’m all for as long as it’s well-written. I also never really looked to see, but a TON of Marvel books ship twice-monthly. Way more than I expected.

Amazing Spider-Man #693 & 694 – The coming of Alpha, Spider-Man’s new sidekick. Dan Slott loves Spidey too much to do anything insane, so I have faith he’ll pull it off well.

Ardden Publishing

Atlas Unified #5 – I’ve never heard of this title OR Ardden Publishing, but the description on this Tom Peyer book sounds great. “When a godlike madman schemes to grant time sentience and enslave it, Atlas Original heroes Phoenix, Grim Ghost, Wulf, and their human allies must perform an unthinkable mission: to kill the Frankenstein time-stream.” Even if Frankenstein time-stream doesn’t mean what I want it to, Peyer sounds like he’s back in full Hourman-mode, and there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

Avatar

Fashion Beast #1 – Man, will Avatar ever run out of old Alan Moore work to have people draw? (No. No they won’t.)

Bluewater

Dorian Gray #3 – Man, this would sound incredible if it weren’t put out by Bluewater, a publisher known for their Bluewater-levels of quality.

The Misadventures of Adam West #6 – BW just licensed the likenesses of a bunch of old-school celebrities, didn’t they? Because this sounds like a mess. And not a fun train wreck mess, just the regular shitty kind.

Kaboom!

Snarked #12 – The conclusion!

Dynamite

The Shadow #6 – Written by Garth Ennis! How did I not know this was a thing?!?! Onto the pull list it goes!

Dynamic Forces

Hit Girl Statue – Err…Who is this for, exactly? And can we round them all up so we know where they are?

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

A Wrinkle in Time GN – Long a personal favorite, this adaptation of the Madeleine L’Engle novel by Hope Larson shows promise!

NBM

Bubbles & Gondola HC – The free ComiXology preview was very sweet in a “Goodbye, Chunky Rice” kind of way. This may be a new classic (and the two Eisner nominations don’t hurt that perception).

New England

Tick #101 – The Tick meets Madman! I’m hooked, but the $7 price tag has me more than a little leery after #100.

PS Artbooks

Speaking of those Golden Age crime/horror/sci-fi classics:

Adventures into the Unknown vol 2

Planet Comics vol 1

Out of the Night vol 1

Skeleton Hand vol 2

Okay, maybe that takes just just shy of $250, but still, that’s a lot of classic archives! and call me crazy, but it feels like a good deal.

Apparel

Okay, so maybe this is a little cheesy, but I love there being a Goon mask. Good for Eric Powell, and good for comics!

Orders must be in to your LCS by July 18, 2012 and are scheduled to arrive in September.